Onboarding cohorts in Chicago meet their colleagues through employee team building events built on flags, anthems and eight scored head to head stations.
A first week that sticks
New hires in Chicago usually spend their first days on laptops, security badges and policy slides. The Global Games Challenge swaps one of those sessions for 90 to 120 minutes of play, giving a fresh cohort a reason to learn names, trade jokes and rely on each other before real projects begin. It is one of the simplest team building programs for employees to slot into an onboarding calendar.
The run of show for a cohort
The host starts with an icebreaker that deliberately splits people who arrived together. Teams of 6 to 8 then invent a
Onboarding cohorts in Chicago meet their colleagues through employee team building events built on flags, anthems and eight scored head to head stations.
A first week that sticks
New hires in Chicago usually spend their first days on laptops, security badges and policy slides. The Global Games Challenge swaps one of those sessions for 90 to 120 minutes of play, giving a fresh cohort a reason to learn names, trade jokes and rely on each other before real projects begin. It is one of the simplest team building programs for employees to slot into an onboarding calendar.
The run of show for a cohort
The host starts with an icebreaker that deliberately splits people who arrived together. Teams of 6 to 8 then invent a country, sketch a flag and write a short national anthem. Every group marches in the Parade of Nations, then rotates through eight challenges, each one scored by a facilitator. A final rotation decides the podium, and a comic medal ceremony closes the day.
Why it suits people on day three
New employees are cautious. They do not want to look foolish in front of a future manager. That is why the format leans on light physical tasks and brain teasers instead of athletic skill, and why every challenge has an adaptive version. Team building activities for employees work when nobody feels singled out, and capping teams at eight means no one hides and no one is overexposed.
Stations your group might draw
- Pipeline Challenge, where a team moves a ball along short channels without letting it drop
- Pictures in Order, a sequencing puzzle that rewards talking it through
- Tangram Challenge, a shape puzzle that favors patient thinkers
- Buddy Walkers, a coordination walk that only works in rhythm
- Mind Maze, a memory and trust puzzle
- Giant Slingshot, the loud crowd favorite
Sizing the room
The listing runs from 15 to 1,000 guests, so it fits a monthly cohort of twenty or a company wide orientation of several hundred. A facilitator is assigned to each pod of 20 to 30 people, and groups of 80 or more are sorted with wristbands. Medals for gold, silver and bronze are included for groups of 75 or more, which gives a big intake class a real finish.
Pairing it with orientation sessions
Many onboarding plans place the games on the afternoon of day two or three, after benefits enrollment and before team assignments. That timing lets new colleagues walk into their first project meeting already recognizing a few faces. Some HR teams also invite a handful of tenured employees to serve as team captains, which spreads culture without a formal mentoring program.
Where it can run
Training rooms, cafeterias, hotel ballrooms, courtyards and parks all work, indoor or outdoor. Give the crew a flat, clear area and a few tables, and they bring every prop, medal and flag supply. Setup and teardown are handled by the traveling team, so the People team can focus on welcoming guests instead of moving furniture. These are fun team activities for work that leave the room clean.
A crew that comes to Illinois
The program is run by a California based provider that travels nationwide for retreats and offsites, including employers across Illinois and the Midwest. The crew arrives with the full kit and leaves with it, so there is no local storage to arrange. Weekday bookings are comfortable with four to six weeks of notice, and peak months fill eight to twelve weeks out.
What HR gets out of it
Onboarding leaders often want proof that a social block is worth the time. Among corporate team building activities, this one leaves visible traces: cohort flags hung by desks, anthems quoted in chat threads and a photo set shared after the event along with feedback. Those small artifacts keep new colleagues connected, which is the point of employee team building events in the first place, and they make team bonding games feel like part of the culture.
Next step
Totals are transparent on this listing, and every request is confirmed directly by the provider, a crew refining team building activities for work since 2011. Check availability for your Chicago date, share cohort size and room details, and see how the challenge lineup can match your onboarding theme.
